Donate NowAcross the globe, many young adults and children worry about the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change. They fear that by the time they are middle-aged, the world will be a much warmer, stormier and more uncertain place than it is today. A new international youth climate movement is organizing a fight against climate change, leading global demonstrations and pressuring world leaders to take action. That movement came head to head with politicians in December 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. There, teams of international negotiators attempted to agree on a global climate treaty. Meanwhile, thousands of youth participated in boisterous demonstrations inside the conference center and on the city streets. In Copenhagen, reporter Sara Peach followed members of the International Youth Delegation as they pressured negotiators to reach a strong climate agreement. She also talked with dozens of young people about their anxieties and hopes for Earth's future.
The Climate Generation
For many youth, a warming world is more than an abstract threat. Within the lifetimes of today's young adults and children, climate change could lead to food shortages, changing coastlines and catastrophic storms. An October 2009 Pew Research Poll found that young Americans are more likely than any other age group to view climate change as "a very serious problem." About 2,000 young people voiced those concerns at the 2009 United Nations climate talks in Copenhagen, where world leaders tried – and failed – to agree on a treaty to curb heat-trapping gases.
Youth Fight Climate Change in Copenhagen
Pulitzer Center Student Fellow Sara Peach interviewed youth leaders and activists from around the world attending the COP15 conference for her reporting project "Youth Change the Climate in Copenhagen."
Indian youth activist Ruchi Jain addresses leaders in Copenhagen
Ruchi Jain, 23, was working as a marketer in Mumbai, India, when she left her job to become a full-time climate activist with the Indian Youth Climate Network and 350.org. At the United Nations climate change conference, she participated in Youth and Future Generations Day, Dec. 10, 2009, a day of discussions about the impact of climate change on young people's lives. She spoke passionately before a crowd of youth and U.N. official Yvo de Boer.
Voices from Copenhagen Part 2
Pulitzer Center Student Fellow Sara Peach interviewed youth leaders and activists from around the world attending the COP15 conference for her reporting project "Youth Change the Climate in Copenhagen."
In these segments, Peach captures perspectives on climate change from youth around the world.
Claiming a voice in Copenhagen?
Announcing the 2009 Student Reporting Fellows!
Students at Campus Consortium member schools were eligible to apply for reporting fellowships of up to $2,000 each and the opportunity to work with the Pulitzer Center staff on an international reporting project. Listed below are the inaugural winners for 2009 and previews of their projects.